Braille slate



R. BROWN BRAILLE SLATE Feb. 20, 1940.

Filed April 7, 1939 i 7 n m mmmw mwwwm mgwmmwmwmmwwwm 4 h m wmmhmmpmwm wmmmm% B mmwwwwmmmgmmmwww mmmwm wwwmm n 7 n awwmwmmmmwmmwmwmmmmmmmmwmmmmmw 1 2 om 000 000 see 600 000 000 000 00 000 one 000 one 000 000 006 one 0 000 006 000 o 0 0 000 son 00 a one 000 00aoao 00o Patented Feb. 20, 1940 NT OFFICE BRAILLE SLATE Robert Brown, Johnstown, Pa. Application April 7, 1939, SerialNo. 266,665

7 Claims. (0135 -38) The invention relates to an improvedlBraille slate for use by the blind for holding a sheet of paper while embossed dots and groups of embossed dots are formed therein to represent different characters.

Heretoi'ore Braille slates have been constructed with hinged upper and lower plates, the lower plate containing one or more rows of groups of indentations and the upper plateprovided with apertures corresponding to the groups of inden tations and having in their edges recesses for enabling a stylus to be accurately positioned with respect to the indentations for embossing a sheet of paper, frequently been desired bythe writer or operator to read the embossings previously made, it has (been necessary to remove the paper from the Braille slate in order to the lower face of the paper by the stylus. The removal of this purpose necessitates replacing. the paper within the slate to continue the writing or embossing, and this is not only inconvenient and involves loss of time but frequentlyrresults in inaccurately replacing the paper within the slate, which may result in imperfect writing or embossing. j i

It is an object of the present invention to provide a Braille slate having said upperand lower plates and provided with means associated with the same for holding a sheet of paper in proper embossing position over the lower plate and capable of permitting the upper plate to be raised and lowered for placing the paper in position means cooperating with the upper plate for ac vcurately holding a sheet of paper in properpposiand for advancing the paper in the slate for bringing into embossing position another section of the paper after a section embossed, said means being also adapted to perswung open or away face of 'the paper or necessitating its removal fromthe slate and its replacement therein.

A further object of the invention isto provide a Braille slate of this character equipped with a border or marginal framehinged to the upper and lower plates by the hinge connection thereof and surrounding the groups of indentations of the lower plate and the apertures of the upper plate at the the plates and provided at its upper face with Interruptions in embossing orwriting occur and heretofore, when it has feel the embossed dots produced on the paper from the Braille slate for thereof has been i Braille slate shown in Figure 5 for convenience of illustration.

sides and free ends of the plates. and forming an abutment for the free ends of.

tion for embossing andalso for reading the characters embossedthereon when the lower plate is open or swung away from the border or marginal frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for positively securing the lower plate in its closed position with relation to the marginal or border frameand thereby render it unnecessary to hold the lower plate manually in its closed position while writing or embossing and at other times.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention. consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of. parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, :it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may befresorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of aBraille slate constructed in accordance with this invention and having the upper and lower plates open or i swung away from the marginal or border frame Figure 2 is a plan View of the Braille slate, the 3 paper holding means of the marginal or border frame being illustrated in dotted lines.

Figure 3 isa longitudinalsectional view taken onthe line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line.4.4 of Figure. 2. Figure 5 is a reverse plan view of a portion of a Braille slate illustrating a modification of the invention in which a catch is provided for holding; the lower plate positively in its closed position. a i

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the and broken away Referring particularly to Figures l to 4, inclusive of the drawing, the Braille slate comprises in its construction a lower plate I, an upper platei and a marginal or border frame 3. The upper and lower plates, which are constructed of sheet metal or substantially oblong and are provided at one end of theslate with aligned eyes 4 and 5, through which passes a pintle 6 which hinges the upper and lower plates together. "lhe marginal frame 3, which is also construct:

other suitable material, are 50 2 ed of sheet metal or other suitable material, is substantially U-shaped, being composed of straight parallel sides 1' and a transverse connecting portion 8 located between the free ends of the upper and lower plates 2 and l and forming an abutment for the same to enable the operator in grasping the Braille slate to conveniently hold both the upper and lower plates in their closed positions in contact with the marginal frame while using the Braille slate.

The sides 1 of theborder frame are provided at the hinge connection between the upper and lower plates with eyes 9 which receive the terminal portions of the pintle, the latter being extended beyond the side edges of the upper and lower plates for enabling the hinge connection of the upper and lower plates to serve also as the means for hinging the borderframe to the upper and lower plates so that either one of said plates may be opened and closed with relation to the border frame. This will enable the Braille slate to be opened for introducing the paper into the slate and for removing it therefrom and will also enable the lower plate to be opened or swung away from the border frame for the purposeoi' exposing the embossed surface of the paper to permit reading of the embossed dots without removing the paper from the slate.

The sides 5 of the border frame are provided adjacent the hinged end thereof with inwardly extending lugs iii located within recesses I of the bottom plate I and forming supports for short pins or projections H which are adapted to pierce a sheet I2 of paper or other suitable material to be embossed. The pins or projections II which are located at opposite sides of the border frame adjacent the hinged end thereof are disposed in transverse alignment and are adapted to securely hold the sheet of paper at one edge thereof when the upper plate is closed. The paper is similarly held at the opposite side edge thereof by a pair of pins or projections 13 which are mounted on the transverse portion 8 of the border frame, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing.

In introducing the paper in the Braille slate, the sheet is placed upon the border frame while the lower plate is in its closed position and the upper plate is open. The upper plate is then closed and firmly clamps the paper in engagement with the pins or projections. The upper plate is'provided at the pins or projections with perforations M which receive the said pins or projections when the upper plate is closed. This will enable the upper plate to clamp the sheet of paper firmly without straining or otherwise injuring the pins or projections which are of sufficiently small diameter to enable them to: pierce readily a sheet of paper.

The lower plate is preferably providedwith four rows of the groups of indentations and the upper plate is provided with four rows of the apertures corresponding to the groups of perforations, but the Braille slate may be made of any desired dimensions and any number of the rows of indentations and apertures may be provided.

, The upper plate is preferably provided with a central transverse rib I5 and with spaced bosses it adapted to form guides for enabling the operator to readily locate the different areas of the slate. The free end of the upper plate is provided with a slightly raised segmental portion I1 forming a fingeror thumb grip to enable the upper plate to be readily opened by the thumb catch I9 is mounted on the transverse portion 20 of the border frame 2| for positively holding the lower plate 22 in its closed position. The catch [9, which may be constructed of any suitable material, projects at its outer end slightly beyond 'the transverse portion of the border frame to a provide a finger piece or grip 23 and the inner end 24 extends slightly over the outer face of the, bottomplate for engaging the latter to hold the same in closed position. The catch is provided with a longitudinal slots 25, through which passes a headed fastening device 26 consisting preferably of a rivet or pin mounted on the transverse portion 20 of the border frame 2|. The lower plate 22, the border frame 2! and an upper plate 21 are hinged together at 23 in the same manner as the corresponding parts of the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive. The upper and lower plates and the border frame shown in Figures 5 and 6 are of the same construction as those heretofore de scribed, and further description and illustration thereof are deemed unnecessary, except perhaps to note that the transverse portion 2d of the border frame 2i extends beyond the free ends of the upper and lower plates 21 and 22, respectively. The catch 23 positively holds the lower plate in its, closed position while the Braille slate is in use and at other times, and the lower plate may be readily released for opening by sliding the catch l9 outwardly. Any other suitable form of catch may,-however, be employed for this pur- .pose as may be readily understood.

paper to be clamped by theupper plate on the.

border frame.

2. A Braille slate comprising upper and lower plates hinged together at one end of the slate, and a-hinged border frame composed of spaced sides and a connecting portion extending between the free ends of the plates and provided adjacent the hinge connection of the plates' with inwardly extending lugs, said border frame being provided at said lugs and at said connecting portion with paper engaging means.

I 3. A Braille slate comprising upper and lower plates hinged together at one end of the slate, and a hinged border frame composed of spaced sides and a connecting portion extending between the free ends of the plates and provided adjacent the hinge connection of the plates with inwardly extending, lugs extending beneath the upper plate and located within recesses, of the lower plate when the plate is closed, said border frame being provided at the lugs and at the connecting portion with paper engaging projections and the upper plate having apertures receiving the projections.

4. A Braille slate including hinged upper and lower plates, a hinged border frame having spaced sides and a connecting portion extending beneath the free end of the upper plate and across the free end of the lower plate, and a catch mounted on the connecting portion of the border frame and arranged to engage the free end of the lower plate for positively holding the same in closed position. a

5. A Braille slate comprising upper and lower plates hinged together at one end of the slate, and means cooperating with the upper plate for clamping a sheet of paper in the slate between the upper plate and the said means and independently of any clamping action of the lower plate so as to obviate removal of the paper from the slate and enable the operator to read the embossing on the under face of the paper when the lower plate is moved to opened position.

6. A Braille slate comprising upper and lower plates hinged together at one end of the slate, and a border frame hinged to the slate by the hinge connection of the upper and lower plates and arranged to support a sheet ofpaper in position for the same to be clamped between the upper plate and said frame, the lower plate being movable to open position to expose embossings on the lower face of the paper to thereby obviate of the paper from the slate for reading purposes. v l

7. A Braille slate comprising upper and lower plates hinged together at one end of the slate, and a border frame hinged to the slateby the hinge connection of said plates and composed of ROBERT BROWN. 

